And though the American goalkeeper was powerless to stop Dimitar Berbatov’s penalty, Martinez has paid tribute to the 34-year-old’s form this season – and his focus.

The Blues boss says it is vital Howard remains on his toes at all times even though there will be long spells in games where the opposition get nowhere near his goal.

Martinez has also highlighted a pair of saves Howard pulled off late in the first half against Arsenal earlier this month as further proof that he is always on the ball.

“When you are so dominant in possession as a team you need great concentration as a goalkeeper because you can go 40 minutes without having a save to make,” said Martinez.

“It happened at the Emirates and then you have two saves to make on the trot and he was so fast and so quick and read the situation so well that they didn’t look like good chances.

“Tim is a special footballer and human being at Everton because he represents everything I want from a player. He has incredible professionalism, a great vision and he influences people around him and he is someone as good as you will see in this league.”

Martinez added: “Tim has been incredible in terms of understanding how we want to play and he has played an incredible role in how we want to start our play.”